EUbusiness Week 581 top stories: Greece sees difficult years ahead as EU-IMF talks begin; Broke Cyprus hopes to ride euro crisis as EU head; Euro-Parliament throws out online piracy pact; Fight against EU fraud nets EUR 700m; Google makes proposals to EU on competition concerns; Life-saver ‘eCall’ system for new cars urged by MEPs
This Week’s Top Stories
1. Greece sees difficult years ahead as EU-IMF talks begin
2. Broke Cyprus hopes to ride euro crisis as EU head
3. Euro-Parliament throws out online piracy pact
4. Fight against EU fraud nets EUR 700m
5. Google makes proposals to EU on competition concerns
6. Life-saver ‘eCall’ system for new cars urged by MEPs
Publisher’s Note
A basic bank account should be a basic right, say Euro-MPs, who on Wednesday voted for binding rules to make basic payment accounts available to all EU consumers.
Around 30 million EU citizens currently have no account. These are people who are homeless, on very low incomes, students, expatriate workers and those withour a credit record. For them, renting accommodation, getting a job or paying bills is at best time-consuming and costly, at worst n insurmountable obstacle.
MEPs want those who need it to have a legal right to a cheap and simple bank account, with basic payment functions, at a reasonable price and open to existing and to new bank customers. We now await the Commission’s response.
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Regards,
Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness
PUBLIC TENDER – MACEDONIA Granting of state-owned agricultural land under lease – Public Notice, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy in Macedonia |
1. Greece sees difficult years ahead as EU-IMF talks begin
Greece’s new Finance Minister warned Thursday that a recovery plan was “off-track” and “difficult years” lay ahead as sensitive talks with EU-IMF creditors began.
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British consultancy scoops prize for euro exit strategy
2. Broke Cyprus hopes to ride euro crisis as EU head
By a cruel twist of fate Cyprus takes the EU presidency chair tasked with guiding Europe out of financial chaos just as it becomes the fifth eurozone state to seek a Brussels bailout.
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Cyprus sees ‘nothing wrong’ in two bailouts: Russia, EU
3. Euro-Parliament throws out online piracy pact
The European Parliament has finally thrown out the global pact to battle counterfeiting and online piracy, quashing any EU ratification and possibly killing it for good.
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4. Fight against EU fraud nets EUR 700m
Officers tracking EU crime and corruption for Europe’s anti-fraud office recovered almost EUR 700m last year from EU structural funds, customs and agricultural subsidies.
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5. Google makes proposals to EU on competition concerns
Google says it has has made proposals to EU regulators who have threatened to impose huge fines unless the Internet search giant allays concerns it has abused its dominant market position.
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6. Life-saver ‘eCall’ system for new cars urged by MEPs
The European Parliament on Tuesday demanded all new cars be forced to be equipped by 2015 with an electronic emergency system known as eCall.
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EUROPEAN LAW
Hungary: Hungary’s parliament has adopted amendments to its law on the judiciary that will limit the authority of a new body, which European officials had said was excessive.
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Latest Court of Justice judgements
EU Law Firms
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Inside the EU Institutions
Council Watch
Summit deal: economists and non-euro EU leaders cheered last week’s eurozone summit deal as a surprise “breakthrough” in efforts to preserve a stable currency, yet crucial details still need to be filled in.
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EU bond bailout deal remains valid: German FM
Slovenia can’t rule out EU bailout: minister
Britain cannot maintain ‘status quo’ on Europe: PM
Council …
Commission Watch
UK: Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso on Tuesday angrily told British Conservative MEPs he was puzzled by their gloating over troubles in the eurozone.
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Barroso in first official visit to Israel this weekend
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Parliament Watch
EU Patent: the days-old summit breakthrough to create a single European patent after decades of dispute was thrown into question Tuesday by Parliament and the Commission.
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Euro-MPs say violent Israeli settlers must face justice
Euro-MPs condemn China forced abortions
Also this week, Euro-MPs in plenary backed an EU allocation of EUR 230m in guarantees to back the private issuance of “project bonds” for transport, energy and information technology infrastructure projects; and called for a crack-down on animal welfare offenders to protect public health.
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EU diary
10 Jul, Economic and Financial Affairs Council
16-17 Jul, Agriculture and Fisheries Council
17 Jul, EC proposal on protection of EU financial interests
18-19 Jul, Informal Competitiveness Council (Industry)
20 Jul, Informal Competitiveness Council (Research)
23 Jul, Foreign Affairs Council
23-24 Jul, Justice and Home Affairs informal
26 Jul, Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Budget)
The Week Ahead
Long-term diary
RESOURCES
EU Law Firms
Summaries of EU Legislation
EU Decision-Making
Treaties of the European Union
Key EU Legal Terms
Other news on EUbusiness this week
EU crisis plan fails to calm nerves on Spain 5-Jul
ECB, Turkish central bank to cooperate 4-Jul
EU details objections to Universal-EMI merger 4-Jul
Relief ‘in sight’ after EU crisis summit: S&P 4-Jul
Boeing says trade spat with Airbus bad for both 3-Jul
Jobless rate hits record 11.1% 2-Jul
